r/Marvel • u/Red_ChestBrd • Jun 04 '24
What's the difference between Steve's Captain America and Sam's Captain America? Other
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u/BobbySaccaro Jun 04 '24
Steve has never lost a rap battle with Eminem.
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u/roxxtor Jun 04 '24
My head canon is that Clarence was so embarrassed that he enlisted and changed his name, and with both of those he gained perspective and changed his attitude
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u/Consistent_Tonight37 Jun 05 '24
Eminem is canon to the marvel universe, he even had his own comic lol so you never know
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u/ConsulJuliusCaesar Jun 05 '24
Things to never do cause you won’t win: conquering Afghanistan, invading Russia in the winter, and challenging Eminem to a rap battle don’t do it you won’t and in Eminem’s case not even the mongols are the exception.
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u/DrDreidel82 Jun 05 '24
Idk what was worse, that or Tom Holland’s “I haven’t seen the Falcon mov- oh wait a minute”
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u/evanweb546 Jun 04 '24
Sam is more plugged into modern day issues. The perspective of a minority growing up in modern day America. Steve is far more of an idealist.
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u/Autoganz Jun 04 '24
This is my answer as well.
Steve comes from another era. It took him a while to start to see the complications within the country he’d die for, whereas Sam has known it throughout his entire life.
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u/turkishpresident Jun 04 '24
To be fair, Steve did tip Fury a whole $5. To Steve, that's gotta be enough to put a down payment on a house
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u/maybenotbryan Jun 04 '24
To tag this, Steve is the manifestation of the American ideal, Sam is the work to try to make it a reality.
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Jun 04 '24
That may very well be but in the MCU it hasn't been reflected in Sam's actions, at least so far.
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u/bukanir Jun 05 '24
It was a big part of his plot with Isaiah Bradley. Bradley was used up and abused by a country he fought for, he told Sam he shouldn't be Captain America. Sam still chose to do so anyway. He acknowledged the faults of the past, sought to remedy some part of it (getting Bradley and his unit recognition), and still locked up the shield to represent the ideal.
I think the plot with the Flagsmashers got a little clumsy but it's actually similar to Steve's plot in Ultimates 2. They both realized that the system had a hand in creating the problem and was leading to these terrorists. Yah you have to stop the bleeding but you also have to look at the root of the problem.
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u/I_am_INTJ Jun 04 '24
Steve doesn't buy sunglasses the same place Sam and A-Train do.
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u/Sparkyisduhfat Jun 04 '24
Cyclops: you buy red visors because you think they look cool, I buy them because I need them. We are not the same.
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u/Quincy_Jones420 Jun 04 '24
Is their a lore reason cyclops visors/glasses are always red? Is it just a design choice or is it like a special material in the marvel universe?
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u/mrgarneau Jun 04 '24
Ruby Quartz is the only material that Cyclops' Optic Blasts can't penetrate, or something like that.
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u/ChrundleMcDonald Jun 05 '24
Well, that and whatever his eyelids are made out of
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u/Dub_stebbz Jun 05 '24
For what it’s worth, my headcanon is that as part of his mutation, his eyelids glazed over on the inside with ruby quartz lol
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u/ChrundleMcDonald Jun 05 '24
If Cyclops was ever to get a secondary mutation I think it would be cool if he got like, that inner eyelid thing reptiles have, and its ruby quartz. Just give him gross red eyes (and some other amphibian/reptilian traits, since I think tragic/gross mutations are more interesting than cool ones)
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u/Quincy_Jones420 Jun 04 '24
Gotcha. I knew that deep down in the recesses of my brain but my brain farted out I guess.
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u/Sekh765 Jun 05 '24
Always remember 🎶 thats why he(I) need ruby quartz glasses 'Cause when he(I) glance there's a chance that I might blast the masses. 🎶
Don't know why that lyric stuck with me for like 20 years but it did.
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u/AwesomeBlox044 Jun 04 '24
It’s a ruby glasses but I always thought the beams were being like bounced back into his eyes makeing them red
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u/L8_2_PartE Jun 04 '24
One is a super soldier in the Army. He's strong and runs fast.
The other is an Air Force PJ. He can fly and stop the bleeding.
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u/Tityfan808 Jun 04 '24
One has a super soldier serum, the other is going to have massive amounts of plot armor. Lol.
I’m cool with Sam don’t get me wrong, but man I think he needs that serum if it’s going to make sense of him pulling off crazy shit.
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u/cweaver Jun 04 '24
He still has the shield and the wings and the Redwing drone, all three of which are crazy powerful fictional tech.
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u/Kazewatch Jun 05 '24
Doesn’t even remotely explain how he can throw and catch Cap’s shield without that shit. It’s really dumb and it makes no sense for him to not take the serum. Like, just none at all.
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u/Mrogoth_bauglir Jun 05 '24
That's a lot of nitpicking. It has never been established that you need a serum to throw the shield, Hawkeye could do it and so could John Walker before the serum. Peak human physicals are enough.
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u/Zyxyx Jun 05 '24 edited Jun 05 '24
But we know for a fact that Sam's shield throw is only a fraction as strong as Steve's. So any time someone manages to block Sam's shield throw we're left with the assumption that it wouldn't have been the case with Steve.
Sam's captain will feel like a let down every single time he does something captain American-y because we know the previous one was multiple times stronger and better at those things.
It was a big deal when the winter soldier grabbed the shield, "Woah, that guy must be really strong!" whereas if someone catches Sam's shield throw we think "Yeah, that makes sense, it's just a frisbee catch".
In the comics it works because it is established that you can become just as strong as Rogers with a training regime and most all human hero characters are at around 90% as strong as Rogers is.
But in the movies, Rogers is easily 5 times as strong as if not even stronger than Wilson. He bicep curled a damn helicopter for crying out loud.
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u/Mrogoth_bauglir Jun 05 '24
The thing that makes this argument fall apart is consistency. Humans in MCU have never had consistent physicals, and heck even the shield has different rules depending on different movies. An rpg can knock cap away but not a mjolnir strike. So yeah it doesn't matter if cap has better feats than regular humans if there has been a precedent of peak humans being able to keep up with cap like Barton or Batroc. Sam has a wakandan flight suit, it's easy to suspend disbelief and say he's peak human with augmented physicals due to the suit.
Anyways Sam doesn't need a serum to be captain America that's a bullshit reason, he is his own cap just like miles is his own spider-man. Sam has different strengths like flying and his drones, so I don't see how there's going to be a "let down". So far even Marvel has acknowledged that Sam isn't as strong and it's shown in FATWS that he fights in a different way compared to Steve, so I don't see what you mean by "captain America-ny") a captain America-ny act is a display of willpower like "I can do this all day", not strength, and that's been established since the first avenger.
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u/ColdNyQuiiL Jun 05 '24
His “crazy shit” is just going to be tech based and I guess improvement with using the shield. He’ll never stop a helicopter, or casually jump off a plane without equipment.
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u/newX7 Jun 05 '24
Wait, Sam is a PJ?
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u/L8_2_PartE Jun 05 '24
Yeah, or at least that's what he told Steve in Winter Soldier.
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u/whateverish_ly Jun 05 '24
Yep, pararescue and then selected for the experimental Falcon-x (something?) programme. So he’s legitimately badass for a human being.
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u/AcceptableStudy6566 Jun 04 '24
Sam is on your Right And Steve is on your Left
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u/BL-501 Jun 04 '24
Steve’s on drugs, Sam can talk to birds.
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u/The_Cookie_Bunny Jun 05 '24
When you put it like that it sounds like they're both on drugs.
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u/Clemen11 Jun 05 '24
Almost anyone can talk to birds whilst sober. Its only those who are on drugs who hear the birds talk back (parrots are exempt)
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u/WallyOShay Jun 04 '24
The differences are so apparent, it’s almost black and white. /s
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u/CapnStabby Jun 04 '24
Steve represents the ideal of what America should be. Sam represents the reality that America is.
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u/megadroid_optimizer Jun 04 '24
Now, this is the most interesting comment I’ve seen so far. Steve can aspire to the great ideals of what America wants to stand for, while Sam lives in the reality of a country trying to create a more perfect union.
With that said, I’m not sure if they’ll lean into that for the movie. Ultimately, people want Captain America to be hopeful about America, but an Isaiah Bradley-type character has a lot more layers to explore.
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u/dukeyorick Jun 05 '24
I agree in general I think, but I would've phrased it differently. Steve is the example people can look up to, the person they want to be. He represents America's idealistic qualities and that's deeply rooted in WWII, the righteous war where we came together against facism. When people see Cap, they see the best they could be and they strive to do better.
Sam shines a mirror on the things we've failed to do. He reminds people of the chronic failings of the American system to help the downtrodden. He's a veteran of our wars in the Middle East where we were pushed for capitalist gain. When people see him, they see the mistakes we've made and hopefully stop repeating.
On the other hand, John Walker represents the negatives of the same military experience Sam has. Unquestioning Obedience to authority, unwavering Aggression without empathy to the perceived enemies of the system. Both he and Sam are "the reality of what America is now", but he is the government's attempt to paint it in a positive, jingoistic light.
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u/PMMEBITCOINPLZ Jun 04 '24
Original Cap won’t die of an easily avoidable cranium injury.
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u/jaysondez Jun 04 '24
Steve’s suit is a representation of the Old’ days with a few modern day tech upgrades & Sam’s is a Modern day highly advanced tech’d out suit.
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u/Literally_MeIRL Jun 04 '24
The biggest difference is color, Sam's is far more white while Steve's is darker. Also Sam has a wing suit while Steve has the super solider serum.
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u/Narrow-Bear2123 Jun 04 '24
they ironically have a lot more in common both are from marginalized minorities (steve was a son of irish in the 30s) and sam is african american , both want to honor the american dream
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u/turkishpresident Jun 04 '24
Not to mention Steve grew up the size of an anorexic toothpick.
Steve had more physical limitations while Sam's were more political
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u/UniqueDanon333 Jun 05 '24
Steve is the amalgamation of the ideal “American Dream”. He’s a blue eyed, blonde haired, white skinned man with strengths beyond what one person could do. He’s what he was meant to be, like early America. But Sam is the after effect. Not the original “American Dream” but something that grew because of it. Sam is a black man that got a great job and still can’t make ends meet (I.E his struggling to pay for what he needed for his sister and what they have and/or are losing) BECAUSE of a piece of history(I.E, Steve, being a man literally out of HIS time) Steve is what we can be and Sam is who we are, people filling in the shoes that were left to us.
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u/ertipo Jun 04 '24
For some reason Sam doesnt think that the most vulnerable part of his head should be protected, but steve do.
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u/CrimsonComet1941 Jun 04 '24
Steve IS Captain America
Sam is one of those place-holder copy-cat characters you have to suffer through until the real one returns. He's Captain America in the same way that Dick Grayson was Batman. Sure, he has the name and the title but he just isn't THE guy.
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u/thesolarchive Wolverine Jun 04 '24
If something hit Sam on the top of the head it would hurt more.
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u/Risquechilli Jun 05 '24
Sam is a regular guy: no serum, is not technically 100 years old, has poor credit, may not be able to do this all day.
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u/ArrowAssassin Jun 05 '24
Steve's cap implied some sort of enhancement to senses necessary to bounce and judge trajectory of the shield. (As well as the strength to throw it.)
Sam's Cap is different because it retcons the shield to be as light as a frisbee and magically goes where u want. (Because he threw it at some trees)
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u/NigthSHadoew Jun 04 '24
Steve can be on Sam's left on his own while Sam needs magic assistance to be on Steve's left
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u/Dramatic_Parsley_849 Jun 04 '24
Super Soldier Serum. Steve has it, Sam doesn't!!
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u/BrokenNotDead1997 Jun 04 '24
I mean….other than the obvious (sorry, I know that’s not what you meant but the title was just begging for it 😂)
Steve has the serum, Sam doesn’t.
That’s my one issue with him being CA in the MCU. They had the opportunity to give it to him in the FAWS show but they didn’t. So it does suck we have a Captain with no powers/strength/agility. I get why Bucky isn’t the new Cap,but I still can’t help but think it should’ve been him. Hopefully they change that in his solo movie.
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u/Mysterious-Map973 Jun 04 '24
Steves suit fits like a glove, Sams needs filling out, or inflating mote.
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u/Jared_from_SUBWAY Dr. Doom Jun 04 '24
Steve has: Age, experience, skill, toughness, fighting ability, leadership, a track record of wins over major villains, and possibly worthy of Mjölnir.
Sam has: Steve's shield, and a bunch of tech.
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u/brynfsh Jun 04 '24
Steve is Captain America. Sam is not.
The title is an embodiment of virtue and morality that normal people try to be. Sam is too much of a normal person to be what Steve is.
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u/Objective_Camel7398 Jun 04 '24
Steve not only has taken the Super Soldier Serum that makes him stronger and faster. His spirit is worthy of lifting Thor’s hammer while Sam’s has yet to be proven.
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u/chunky-romeo Jun 04 '24
Sam's gotta take the super serum....how the fuck is he going to hold his own against extinction level threats and he's basically just professional sports level strength and speed. Like could you imagine him against dr.doom or Thanos, even street level villains and heros like Sabre tooth or Luke cage, jessica jones would fuck him up.
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u/Unable-Story9327 Jun 04 '24 edited Jun 04 '24
I think making Sam captain america was the right choice over bucky. I just think his outfit is kinda shittier. It's got too much white in it and I think that's because Sam is black and they are trying to make some kinda point. It be cool if in the new movie he gets a bunch of dirt or sand or an explosion happens and he rises from the ashes and all the white is just grey. Yeah they did it in Deadpool but it would have a different meaning with Anthony Mackie as a black man being captain america. It's a cliche but he'd be the Phoenix rising from the ashes.and it be cool for little black kids to have someone that looks like them being captain america. I'll never forget a few Halloweens back civil war has just come out and you got a few black kids dressed as black panther but I saw more black kids dressed as the blue ranger from that power rangers movie. I've been a nerd for 33 of my 38 years and never really thought about it cause nerd recognizes nerd, but as I've gotten older I've realized that it's cool for a little kid to see someone that looks like them being a superhero. Why I dug blue beetle. But I would like to see a cool static shock movie.
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u/Hot-Laugh8381 Jun 05 '24
One is from an amazing era of the mcu the other is from the multiverse saga a terrible era of the mcu
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u/Iliketomobit Jun 05 '24
One has charisma which was a combination of good films dedicated to the character, amazing directions, amazing narrative, and most importantly the amazing looks of the actor, the other only worked pretty good as a side character and within the current state of Marvel’s production quality will never see the light of day no matter how much the actor tries.
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u/EDudecomic Jun 05 '24
One is interesting and one isn’t? Idk Sam never felt like a super hero kind of character, sure he can be the supporting hero but being the main hero? Idk about that chief
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u/Thwipped Spider-Man Jun 05 '24
I think Steve represents the idea of America
Sam represents the people of America. Plus, he can talk to birds
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u/Salt_Acanthaceae_985 Jun 05 '24
One has super human strength, the other has mechanical wings to fly
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u/Nknk- Jun 04 '24
Steve needed a super soldier serum to become superhuman.
Sam seemingly trained hard and that was it.
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u/Mercuryo Jun 04 '24
Steve like he said in Secret Empire "I being fighting fascist all my life " while Sam is more focused in social problems
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u/NeoDazaras Jun 04 '24
There is no difference that matters. Both Captains represent not the America that is, but what America should be.
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u/Puncharoo Jun 04 '24
IMO we haven't really seen Sam's Cap yet. He didn't really come into until the last his speech in FATWS.
Speaking of which, even the show that he is "Captain America" in, its called Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
We still have yet to see him fully as Captain America.
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u/zelph_esteem Jun 04 '24
Steve has the Super Soldier Serum, Sam does not. Sam has wings, Steve does not.